APARTMENT HUNT

Loft-style unit in renovated complex

Former medical building in Loop retains its name

January 08, 2006|By Annemarie Mannion, Special to the Tribune

Teeth pulling and physical exams are in the past for the former Medical Dental Arts Building at 65 E. Lake St. in the Loop.

The 24-story building, constructed in 1926, has recently undergone a multimillion-dollar transformation into a 200-unit apartment building. Only the building's moniker, MDA City Apartments, reflects that until the 1990s, it had been filled with the offices of doctors and dentists. It also provided the backdrop for Robert Altman's film, "The Company."

The building is brick with terra cotta details. The interior has been gutted and redone to include a lobby with a fireplace, pillars decorated with bronze tiles and a desk where a concierge is on duty 24 hours. The lobby's sleek new look is accented by black and red furnishings.

Many details from the building's past have been saved. The stainless steel elevator doors, for instance, are original as is the marble wainscotting on many floors.

Many of the MDA's new elements are intended to enhance residents' leisure time, including a theater with a large screen and plush seating. The top of the building will have a deck; outdoor swimming pool; kitchen; a clubroom with a television, bar and sound system; and a glass solarium that will have a vine-covered roof.

There's plenty to do beyond the building.

In fact, it's hard to imagine a better location for finding things to do without having to travel far. There's Millennium Park, the theater district and shopping on State Street and Michigan Avenue.

The soft-loft-style unit we visited is on the sixth floor. Its front door opens into a 30-by-11-foot multi-use space that encompasses the foyer, kitchen and living room.

Your eyes are drawn to the floor, which is a striped wood with colors that range from blond to brown to caramel. According to management, the flooring was imported from Malaysia.

The kitchen, at the center of the expansive space, is set off by a beige and tan granite-topped island. On the wall behind the counter are oak cabinets and black appliances that include a dishwasher and microwave.

The opposite wall holds a large window and a glass door that opens to a Juliette-style balcony.

A nook between the window and door is large enough for a small dining table and two chairs. The view is toward the west and includes Lake Street and the "L" tracks.

You can hear the trains, but the rumble is not overwhelming. It's just enough to give an urban flavor to the unit.

Two closets are to the right of the kitchen. One is for coats; the other holds a full-size washer and dryer.

Also to the right of the kitchen is access to the master bedroom and bathroom.

The first room beyond the door is the bathroom, which has a white tile floor and a white vessel sink atop an oak vanity. A glass-enclosed shower is large enough for two. Light from a large window augments track lighting.

Next is the 10-by-13-foot bedroom, which has wheat-colored carpet, and two approximately 6-foot-tall windows that look west and south. A row of three extra large closets fills one wall.

Heading back out into the multi-use room and to the left of the kitchen, there's an L-shaped space whose short side is the living room with a large, west-facing window, and whose long side is an 11-by-12-foot area that could serve as a den, office or even a bedroom because it has a closet.

The area has the same carpet as the master bedroom.

The second bathroom is off the den. It has a white tile floor, oak vanity with white vessel sink and track lighting. There is a soaking tub, rather than a shower.

MDA has 33 floor plans. Studios are $1,095 to $1,160 a month; convertibles run $1,240 to $1,280; one-bedrooms are $1,390 to $1,625; one-bedrooms with dens, $1,575 to $2,385; two-bedrooms range from $2,070 to $2,650; one-bedroom penthouses rent for $2,240 to $2,600; and two-bedroom, two-bath penthouses, some with dens, are $2,705 to $3,210.

Each apartment has an additional storage unit in the basement, where there also is bicycle storage.

A supermarket is a short drive, though public transportation is practically just outside the door. An "L" stop is at Randolph Street and Wabash Avenue, served by the Orange, Green, Brown and Purple Lines. A block west at State and Lake Streets is the Red Line subway. The Blue Line is at Lake and Clark Streets. Numerous bus routes operate on Michigan Avenue and State Street.

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The vital stats

Address: MDA Chicago City Apartments, 65 E. Lake St., Chicago

Size: One bedroom with den, two baths

Rent: $2,360

Security deposit: $150 if the unit is rented on first visit; $500 on second visit.

Utilities: Resident pays gas heat, electricity and water. In addition, residents can opt to get cable television, high-speed Internet access and phone service for a package that varies from $60 to $80 a month.

Parking: An unreserved space in a nearby parking garage is $225 a month.

Pets: Dogs 25 lbs. or less and cats are allowed. A $150 refundable pet fee is required, as is $20 a month pet rent.